ARTICLES ABOUT TYRUS THOMAS BY DATE - PAGE 2

Yahoo! Sports reports: Former Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas was shoved by Bobcats coach Paul Silas after engaging in a postgame screaming match Sunday and the two had to be separated, league sources said. Silas was angered that Thomas had been chatting with members of the Boston Celtics on the court. Both have been fined by Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins. Get the full story: Yahoo.com

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Bulls have been excited about the possibility of Nikola Mirotic joining them ever since they acquired his draft rights from the Timberwolves in June. Mirotic keeps justifying that anticipation with his play. The 21-year-old sharpshooting forward, whose contract with Real Madrid runs through 2015, on Wednesday became the first repeat winner of the prestigious Rising Star Trophy in Euroleague history. The award honors the league's best player under 22. Mirotic averaged 12.5 points on 57 percent 2-point shooting and 43.9 percent 3-point shooting, along with 4.5 rebounds in 16 games.

I wasn't rooting for the Bulls' worst effort of the season in Philadelphia, but thank goodness it happened. Specifically, thank goodness it happened to Tom Thibodeau. Nothing personal. I love Thibodeau as a coach. He knows how to run a practice and knows how to run a game. With two exceptions: knowing when to give up a dead-bang loser of a game and when to ease up on a gimme, both of which come down to knowing how to get rest for his starters. A coach's mentality --- heck, his very survival --- is wins and losses, and Thibodeau is a coach first, last and always.

Expecting Carlos Boozer suddenly to manhandle the Hawks inside beginning Friday night in Atlanta is like thinking, this time, the ant will crush the shoe. Be realistic. At this rate it might not end well for Boozer. Whether it's turf toe, a balky ankle, bad conditioning or all of the above, he stopped being a 20-point, 10-rebound machine in the second half of the season. He hasn't scored more than 20 points since April 8 against the Cavaliers, 11 games ago. He has put together back-to-back 20-point games only once since Jan. 12. He has scored in single digits as often the past eight games as he has in double figures — four times apiece.

Coach Tom Thibodeau said Carlos Boozer's sprained left ankle has swelling and the forward's return will depend on when it subsides. Boozer skipped the Bulls' light workout after a film session Thursday and is listed as day-to-day. The Bulls play back-to-back home games Friday against the Hawks and Saturday against the Jazz. The last time Boozer sprained the same ankle, he missed three games. "It's similar," Thibodeau said. "It could be anywhere from a couple of days to a week.

The NBA trade deadline has come and gone. And thank goodness: One more day and fans might've built Courtney Lee's statue outside the United Center next to MJ. Here is an abbreviated version of the mailbag. We'll come back with more next week. Why wouldn't the Bulls trade Omer Asik for Courtney Lee if Asik isn't the rotation? Bobby T., Jacksonville, Fla. Because he will be next season and has been this season. And the Bulls' perspective is that he is an athletic, 7-footer and you don't give up young, athletic size when they still might add a wing player once buyouts happen.

After Derrick Rose put the finishing touches on a Jordanesque fourth quarter in a 109-99 victory Thursday night over the weary Spurs at the United Center, it was fair to ask. We knew this marquee matchup would feature the best team in the NBA. But seeing Rose respond to a rousing pre-game pep talk from Tom Thibodeau with a career-high 42 points, can we be sure which team that was? "It worked," Rose said of his coach's rare rah-rah approach. First there was the speech.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In his third game against his former team, Tyrus Thomas downplayed any extra motivation, although he did admit his big game "tasted a little better. " His team's owner, guy by the name of Michael Jordan, cracked a joke about Thomas' extra intensity in a brief, casual postgame stop with Chicago reporters. Whatever the case, Thomas seemed to be in the middle of every big play from the Bobcats' come-from-ahead, come-from-behind 96-91 victory over the Bulls.